肿 zhǒng — swollen
他的脚被撞了一下，肿了起来。Tā de jiǎo bèi zhuàng le yí xià, zhǒng le qǐ lái.His foot got bumped and swelled up.
Common words: 肿瘤 (zhǒng liú)、肿大 (zhǒng dà)、肿么 (zhǒng me)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "swollen"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "swollen", including 肿 (zhǒng), 膀 (bǎng / bàng / pāng / páng), 泡 (pāo / pào), 胀 (zhàng), 膨 (péng). Study pinyin…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "swollen" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 肿 (zhǒng), 膀 (bǎng / bàng / pāng / páng), 泡 (pāo / pào), 胀 (zhàng), 膨 (péng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhǒng, bǎng, bàng, pāng, páng, pāo, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 肿 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 肿 zhǒngswollenUseful words: 肿瘤, 肿大
- 膀 bǎng / bàng / pāng / pángupper arm; wing; to flirt; puffed (swollen); bladderUseful words: 肩膀, 翅膀
- 泡 pāo / pàopuffed; swollen; to steep; soak; bubble(s); foamUseful words: 泡沫, 浸泡
- 胀 zhàngdropsical; swollen; to swell; to be bloatedUseful words: 膨胀, 胀大
- 膨 péngswollenUseful words: 膨胀, 膨大
Common words for these 5 "swollen" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 肿 (zhǒng) — so "swollen" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
肿瘤zhǒng liútumor肿大zhǒng dàswelling; enlargement; hypertrophy肿么zhǒng meInternet slang for 怎么肩膀jiān bǎngshoulder翅膀chì bǎngwing膀子bǎng ziupper arm; arm; wing泡沫pào mòfoam; (soap) bubble; (economic) bubble浸泡jìn pàoto steep; to soak; to immerse灯泡dēng pàolight bulb; see also 电灯泡; third-wheel or unwanted third party spoiling a couple's date (slang)膨胀péng zhàngto expand; to inflate; to swell
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "swollen".
膀 bǎng / bàng / pāng / páng — upper arm; wing; to flirt; puffed (swollen); bladder
鸟儿张开翅膀，飞向远方。Niǎo ér zhāng kāi chì bǎng, fēi xiàng yuǎn fāng.The bird spreads its wings and flies into the distance.
Common words: 肩膀 (jiān bǎng)、翅膀 (chì bǎng)、膀子 (bǎng zi)
泡 pāo / pào — puffed; swollen; to steep; soak; bubble(s); foam
喝茶前，先用热水把茶叶泡一泡。Hē chá qián, xiān yòng rè shuǐ bǎ chá yè pào yi pào.Before drinking tea, steep the tea leaves in hot water first.
Common words: 泡沫 (pào mò)、浸泡 (jìn pào)、灯泡 (dēng pào)
胀 zhàng — dropsical; swollen; to swell; to be bloated
吃多了，肚子有点儿发胀。Chī duō le, dù zi yǒu diǎnr fā zhàng.I ate too much, and my stomach feels a bit bloated.
Common words: 膨胀 (péng zhàng)、胀大 (zhàng dà)、发胀 (fā zhàng)
膨 péng — swollen
气球充了气，慢慢膨胀了起来。Qì qiú chōng le qì, màn màn péng zhàng le qǐ lái.The balloon was inflated and slowly expanded.
Common words: 膨胀 (péng zhàng)、膨大 (péng dà)、膨化 (péng huà)
All 5 characters
Open 肿、膀、泡 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.